This page has been established to facilitate sharing of information with other Inkpen/Inkpin researchers. It is not a full one-name study but a contribution to it should someone decide to start one. The surname is derived from a geographical locality; 'of Inkpen,' a parish near Hungerford, in Berkshire. Literally, the 'pen, or enclosure of Inge,' the first settler.

The surname distribution maps show that there are a number of Inkpen "clans" scattered over southern England. The Laughton clan documented here was just one of these. The Inkpen name appears to have come to Laughton in East Sussex in the early 1600s. They remained there until c1800 and then disappeared from that parish. In fact, Laughton does not show in the 1881 Inkpen surname distribution map below. Neither does the locality of the origin of the surname show on the map (the village of Inkpen in Berkshire), an indication of the low numbers of people with the surname (463 people with the surname Inkpen/Inkpin in the 1881 census) and the mobility of people over time.

The Laughton family tree is presented below. The aim of is to preserve the work and stimulate discussion and verification by others. Please contact me if you disagree with any of the connections and/or have further information.

Distribution of the INKPEN/INKPIN surname in England in 1881. (The British 19th Century Surname Atlas ver 1.10, Archer Software)
Distribution of the INKPEN/INKPIN surname in southern England in 1881. (The British 19th Century Surname Atlas ver 1.10, Archer Software)

The Main Tree

The following descendant chart is the primary INKPEN/INKPIN family tree in East Sussex. 

General Observations and Notes

  1. The Laughton families can be traced with confidence to the family of John Inkpen and Margaret Kennard who married at Laughton in 1680. There is then enough information to be able to reasonably speculate back a further two generations to Richard Inckpenne who married Susanna Rhodes at Uckfield in 1618.
  2. The marriage of John Inkepen and Elizabeth Colman at Withyham in 1631 suggests that John may be a brother to Richard mentioned above. Their son John Inkpen baptised 1631/32 is the only Inkpen in the baptism register for Withyham in the early 1600s (Alexander Inkpen's family appears from 1679). In 1642, John Inckpen is living at Hartfield (next to Withyham) according to the list of contributors to the relief of Irish protestants. He appears to have started a family lasting many generations in Hartfield and Withyham. This has not been included in the above family tree.
  3. In 1669, John Inkpen of Hartfield is mentioned in a lease document (TNA: AMS5729/8) as a shoemaker. This is probably the son John (bap. 1631/32) who married Hannah (the Inkpen baptisms for Hartfield in the SFHG index start at 1667 and are for John and Hannah's family. This John Inkpen was one of the few to leave a will - in 1691 at Horsted Keynes).
  4. Before 1600, the SFHG Baptism Index shows an Inkpen family only in Hailsham (Thomas Inkpen) and Chichester (Sylvanus and Sylvester Inckpen, possibly the same person). In 1632 a Silvanus Inkpen married at Ticehurst, suggesting a link between the Inkpens in Chichester and those in East Sussex.
  5. The earliest baptism in the SFHG index is Elizabeth Inckpen baptised 26 Nov 1584 daughter of Thomas. This is the only baptism there but there are four burials. There are no further Inkpen entries at Hailsham after 1614.
  6. The SFHG Marriage Index has an Ynkepen marriage at Rye in 1554 and two marriages in Chichester in 1611 and 1616.
  7. A Roger de Inkpen was mayor of Winchester in 1303 (TNA: C 241/39/95).
  8. Perhaps the original source for the Inkpens in Sussex was through Chichester. More research needed!